Written by Clyde and Danette Simpson 9/2015
This picture of my mom, Cora Lee Simpson, viewed right, and also her friend on the left, name unknown, worked at the Climax Molybdenum, Company, a Mine in Climax, Colorado, which has been said to have been started in 1879 by about 250 people who completed it in 7 months’ time. The mine produced molybdenum which improved the durability, and corrosion resistance of steel among other things such as thermal resistance. Prior to World War II molybdenum had been sold for profit to Germany, Japan, and the Soviet Union. However at the start of World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt put a stop to this based on “moral embargo” as the agreement then was to supply the United States with molybdenum for armament use. This made the Climax mine top priority in the United States, which heightened security to prevent sabotage. Climax mine known as the “Darling of Wall Street” was known by those who lived and worked there as the “Hellhole near the sky.” Climax set at about 11,000 feet had weather issues and had one of the worst records on employee safety, according to Colorado Central Magazine, 1994. As time went on the demands for the armed guards became apparent as men went off to war.
In 1943, Brown haired, brown eyed, at the age of 31 years old, 5’ 2 ½”, 118 pound Cora Lee Simpson was an armed guard at an entrance gate between the Mine, and United States Army Base Camp Hale. Hale is where the United States Army trained their mountain troops for World War II. Being an armed gate guard uniformed and decorated with a long barreled 38 special revolver, and a Climax Molybdenum Co. Identification card, which established permanent identity by means of registration, but did not constitute access as a gate pass. Her service in taking part in protecting access during these critical times is appreciated as women were needed to step up to do such jobs on their feet all day in often poor weather conditions. As a resident of Climax, My mother Cora, lived in a little cabin down by a lake with my father Clyde Ernest Simpson Sr. Later they relocated to Leadville. For fun, Cora said that she and her husband Clyde would go dancing at the local pub, a place where she said that Doc Holiday had visited on occasion. As Cora’s son, I Clyde Ernest Simpson Jr. carried out the enforcement and protectiveness, by following my mother’s footsteps. I served both my country and community for over 25 years. My wife Danette and I took care of my mother in her final years in Eugene, Oregon where my mom got to spend time with us and her granddaughter Samara. Visits were often and family dinners and outings weekly. It was her wish to be laid to rest in Buena Vista, Colorado. Cora Lee Simpson at the age of 93 is resting in the city cemetery at Buena Vista, Colorado in a simple family plot, and loved by her family.